Shop owner Alice Hutchinson examines the stocked shelves at Byrd's Book in downtown Bethel, Conn. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. On Saturday, Nov. 30, local authors will stop by the store to sign and talk about their work for "small-business Saturday," the day after Black Friday.
Photo: Tyler Sizemore

Shop owner Alice Hutchinson poses at Byrd's Book in downtown Bethel, Conn. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. On Saturday, Nov. 30, local authors will stop by the store to sign and talk about their work for "small-business Saturday," the day after Black Friday.
Photo: Tyler Sizemore

DANBURY -- Shoppers throughout the region will line up outside large chain stores across the area on Thanksgiving night, waiting for the clock to strike midnight, so they can rush through the doors to grab the latest deals on the hottest items and make their children happy on Christmas day.

But area business organizations, hoping to attract those shoppers to locally-owned retailers, are gearing up with "shop local" marketing campaigns to keep more of the holiday dollars in the community.

In Ridgefield, chamber of commerce officials are asking residents to take a pledge that they will shop, eat and give locally this year as they scour retailers for that perfect gift for a loved one, or set out for a holiday dinner with the family.

"Keeping their dollars local, a larger percentage will stay in the community," said Ridgefield chamber executive director Marion Roth. "If shopping at a chain store, not nearly as much of the money gets recycled into the local economy."

According to at least one study, more than half of the money spent at locally-owned businesses will be recirculated into the local economy, while less than 14 percent of money spent at retailers operated by national chains stays in town.

An ongoing study by Civic Economics, a consulting firm working with the American Booksellers Association, found that purchasing supplies locally and giving to local charities contributes to a larger percentage of revenue staying in the community.

She estimated that if each of the 7,000 households in town spent the national average of $800 on holiday gifts at local stores, more than $5.5 million would find its way into community coffers.

"If they spend their money online, the town gets nothing," she said.

Besides supporting local businesses, Beers noted that shopping locally also helps maintain the local tax base, increases charitable giving to local organizations, and increases property values.

"There is no question a vital downtown is one of the first things people look for besides schools and the crime rate when looking for a community to buy a home," said Alice Hutchinson, a former first selectwoman in Bethel and the owner of Byrd's Books on Greenwood Avenue.

Hutchinson is planning on having several area authors "work" at her store to help promote independent book stores on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which has been dubbed Small Business Saturday through a marketing effort started by American Express three years ago.

"AMEX may have started the program but our trade is doing a lot to promote it," Hutchinson said.

Babe Rizzuto, owner of Roam, a women's clothing store in Greenwich, is hoping to take advantage of Small Business Saturday to bring customers into her store, which opened just last year.

"We try to make it a fun shopping experience," Rizzuto said. "I think there's a trend of people leaving the malls. People are enjoying the shopping experience in their communities more than malls. Especially, with everything going online, you're missing that shopping experience."

Local economist Nick Perna said it's the locally-owned stores that hire local teenagers and contribute pizzas to the local football team or buy ads every year in the high school yearbook.

"I recently bought a new gas grill for my house," Perna said. "I researched it online and eventually purchased it at my local hardware store. Yeah, it cost a little extra, but they assembled it, delivered it and put it on my deck. When I couldn't get it to light they came back to help me out. It's that kind of service you just don't get from the big box stores."

Jacqui Dowd, who co-owns the Ridgefield Bicycle Co. on Danbury Road along with her husband Sean, said she doesn't worry about holiday competition from department stores because her shop serves a different kind of customer.

"You always have people looking for bargain basement," she said. "Everything is geared to people who walk through the door and not 800 departments. We offer professional services."

Perna said the money he paid for the grill contributed to the wages of the guy who sold it to him, the wages of the guy who delivered it and the owner's profit.

"There is certainly an extra value added because more of the dollars stay local," he said. "But a lot can be said for the social value as well. It's not irrelevant that I can walk into the store and banter with the owner about what's going on locally. That's something you just can't get online."